Can Miils And Ndc Ever Be Trusted?

Kwabena Boateng Jacaboba, Juaben-Ashanti

The birth, nature and historical development of NDC as a party have always been characterized by misinformation and propaganda activities. Is there any doubt to say that NDC has always been led by families and individuals with previous suspicious and dishonest characters? In 1979 when the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) under the leadership of Jeremiah John Rawlings (JJ) began their military journey, they incubated and transmitted propaganda to farmers, professionals, civil servants, chiefs, Armed forces, the police, women and children. Combined with brutal force, Rawlings’ (AFRC) managed to contain Ghanaians from 15th May 1979, and from 31st December 1981.

To promote his political interest, Rawlings and his coup-engineers managed to condition the minds of majority of Ghanaians. The populace were informed that not only had previous governments institutionalised corruption to stagnate socio-economic progress but, further the country was ‘diseased’ with poverty, social frailty, injustices, fraud, mismanagement, and professional misconduct.

To prevent corrupt practices, Rawlings and his AFRC contracted to offer Ghanaians ‘audacity of hope’. They embarked on the so-called house cleaning activities. Rawlings informed Ghanaians that the AFRC had retrieved all the state assets illegally acquired by the people into the state. Rawlings explained to the nation that the housecleaning exercise was to take out the bad individuals from the whole Ghanaian society. The population was also promised good governance and law and order. GBC marketed Rawlings extensively throughout the country. The name Rawlings typically resonated not only within the mindsets of our badly–informed populace but, the entire Africa. Ignorant boys and girls around aged six and seven years old, including me, equally became excited in our towns.

On a daily basis, Rawlings was represented by the media and a section of as society as a man with immaculate divine leadership qualities who would make Ghana a wonderful country. In lyrics, songs and hymns, Rawlings and his cronies happily terrorised the population and also killed many people in the country. The actions of Rawlings in 1979 in the name of ‘Jesus Christ’ were heartless. In Kumasi and other part of the country, intimidation, torture and oppression of the people became the order during the 1979 Rawlings vicious junta. Had it not been the resistance under the late Professor Albert Adu Boahen, Nana Akufo-Addo and good people of Ghana we might have all been slaughtered. In the 1990s when Nana Akufo-Addo and Adu Boahen asked Rawlings to hand over power to democratic government, Rawlings remarked: ‘‘hand over power to whom’. Rawlings believed that there were no men and women in Ghana. It was through sustained political pressure from Nana Akufo -Addo, Adu Boahen and good people of Ghana that made Rawlings form the NDC.

In the NDC’s campaign for the 2008 elections, the party sexed up stories and informed the whole world that, NPP was riddled with corruption. Where was corruption within NPP then? In questioning this, I do not wholly proclaim and conclude that NPP was free from political errors and sleazes during Kufour’s eight years leadership. In saying this one also needs not be uncomplicated to realise that, since NDC came into power the party with all the fabricated stories against NPP government has not been able to find any NPP member guilty of the corruption charges they made against them. Even if NPP ministers and government officials were involved in any financial mismanagement and corruption, one will not be wrong to say that, the failure and inability of a Professor-led NDC government to prosecute and imprison NPP officials, in ‘itself’, shows that NDC lacks honesty and competent skills to be voted for in 2012. Atta Mills and NDC lied to Ghanaian to win votes in 2008. What NPP can do is to use this as a political point to explain how untrustworthy NDC under Mills leadership will be when given them political baton in 2012. We can write much about corruption within NDC three terms in government under Rawlings and Atta Mills? A typical example was the white colour crime committed by the late Victor Solermey which led to his subsequent death in prison. What about Tsatsu Tsikata’s financial criminality and imprisonment?

Can one pen any persuasive achievements of NDC since Mills led the party in 2008? Probably not but, we can reveal the intensity of current corrupt activities and criminality. To mention the least, Woyome’s ongoing financial issues which led to dismissal of the former Attorney General Amidu shows that NDC’s is not and cannot be trusted to re-govern from 2012. Clearly, NDC’s previous two administrations and the present Atta Mills led government have been running in the same socio-economic stagnated and insincere course. Will Ghanaians ask cockroaches to watch cheese? How can Ghanaians ask chicken and hawks to play together? Ghanaians now must understand that NDC under President Mills’ government has not repented from ideological deceits and propaganda. NDC has not made any attempt to change its history, character and form. Professor Mills is unfortunate and has become a spoilt child of NDC’s propaganda: he is being used by some NDC cronies to stage, manage and exploit our country’s resources for the advantage of minority of the population. Will Ghanaians allow this to happen to them again? I hope not.

Atta Mills’ NDC politics has always been catastrophic to Ghana’s path to development. The origin of NDC is always questionable. Mills came to power under a ‘Better Ghana Agenda’. Where is the direction of the better Ghana? Once again Ghanaians have been trapped by NDC. Will you trust NDC in 2012 elections? Mills administration epitomises recycling of AFRC & PNDC extraordinary governments. NDC is a party that safeguards the interest of a few members and disadvantages the majority.

Can we say that NDC’s previous election victories are all suspicious? Inversely, NPP that have democratic ability and vision to change the direction of Ghana sometimes presents as politically timid and this always gives NDC a chance to come back and destroy our development. Comparatively, NPP government is one million times better than NDC. It is possible that if NPP administration governs Ghana for the next 30 years and over, our country will be like other emerging economies in Asia. NDC as a party always oozes, breads and sweats hatred and violence. It is the enemy of Ghana’s socio-economic and democratic empowerment. It is a party that has threatened our unique and celebrated tribal diversity and national unit and continues to threaten our freedom, peace, happiness and posterity. What should NPP and Ghanaian do then?

For Nana Akufo-Addo and NPP to win the 2012 election they need to carry out an in-depth research to explore the dynamics and trends that have maintained Rawlings/Atta Mills NDC government for approximately 12 years, excluding over 10 years AFRC dictatorial regime. A significant analysis of Atta Mills’ victory in 2008 suggests that NDC captured the seat of government at less cost. The assessment and achievements of ex- president Kufour’s government in almost all sectors of the economy (infrastructure, health, peace and security, education, trade and industry, transport, housing, commerce etc) should not have convinced Ghanaian electorate to change NPP government. Where did the NPP get their political balance sheet wrong? Has NPP learned much about NDC’s propaganda machinery and history since 1979 to 2012? The NPP’s political creativity and determination which led to the 2000 victory need to be revisited. Nana Akufo Ado and NPP must be politically resourceful, imaginative, socially matured and politically sensible. The Ghanaian population and voters need to be studied, understood, listened to and planned with. This requires electioneering planning and sensitivity.

NPP needs to prepare to pay dearly at any cost to defend and police the 2012 election processes. Through covert and overt means, NDC may try to manipulate the 2012 elections to win power. NDC must be feared in any countryside, village, town, regions and cities. The presence of international election monitors is important but, equally, NPP should not trust any international institutions apart from their trusted trained election monitors and agents. In the same way, NPP should be cagey about all the independent electoral institutions, including our own Electoral Commission, for free and faire elections. What happened in America’s Elections prior to Obama’s government. Even in Britain’s recent elections, not all the electorate had the opportunity to vote. So it was written. You may find out why? We know that there may not be perfect elections results, but NPP and Ghanaians should not allow NDC to discuss this theory after 2012 elections.

Nana Akufo-Addo and NPP require immediate political tactics through vision. We know that prior to and during the last 2008 elections, Rawlings and NDC employed forceful and controlling machinery to condition the minds of many people in the villages, towns and countryside. For example, Rawlings, Nana Konadu, and NDC propagandists viciously informed Ghanaians that NPP members including President Kufour were violent, corrupt, and dishonest and drug traffickers, but they have not been able to prove this in any competent court since Mills’ NDC came to power in 2008.

The sense of urgency is now for NPP to be aggressive to inform the populace, especially people in the countryside about how NDC under Mills’ government has badly managed the economy. Nana Akufo-Addo and NPP have more political points now than before to win Ghanaian voters. We notice and read always about NDC violence against teachers, verbal abuse against cocoa farmers, leadership crisis, weak economy, mass unemployment, lack of vision, insults against the populace. NPP must package and recycle these points and post to the voters in their kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, toilets, doors and their bedrooms. Nana Akufo-Addo and NPP need to train polling agents who understand the local communications and dynamics. In doing this the agents should be competent and knowledgeable about NPP’s previous achievements under Kufour and their current manifestoes as opposed to NDC policies. NPP should not be self-satisfied about mass media. We live in the world where scientific achievements, inventions and research unthinkable in previous societies are within our grips. The advancement in technological communications and information technology is capacious. This is the age of internet and radio stations. What happens in America today can be communicated to the entire world within minutes through internet, telephones, television, cell phones, news papers, twitter, and others? Equally, information in Ghana can be accessed by any person (s) in Iran, Venezuela or India. The effective use of mass media by NPP to counter NDC propaganda will truly dislodge Mills NDC administration in the 2012 elections. Despite the fact that we live in the age of mass media, the best means for NPP to win this election is door-to-door campaigns.

To the good people of Ghana, let us all come together and appeal to unfettered common sense and reason to study the form, content and nature of NDC and put what I have attempted to contextualise into perspective and give all the necessary support to Nana Akufo-Addo’s NPP victory in 2012 elections. For every country to develop, it requires nationalism combined with visionary leaders, committed and dedicated, patriotism, honesty, political qualities, knowledge, broad based skills, and competent decision makers. President Nana Akufo-Addo under NPP government possesses all these leadership skills and qualities to change our beloved country – Ghana.

As Dr Kwame Nkrumah said; ‘forward ever backward never’. NDC party represents backwardness. NPP leadership stands for progressive development. Let us change and make a positive choice now. God Bless Ghana. God bless

Africans, God bless the late Nana Yaa Asantewaa, Kwame Nkrumah and our forefather’s who struggled and gained our freedom for our independence.

God Bless us all.